Morin Family of Maine a Short History

Years ago I was given a document that was several pages in length. I glanced at it for an instant and found it mildly interesting with the intent to read with concentration, at some point. 

As it seems to go in life, things set aside are soon forgotten. 

But it was given to me with a purpose in that it served as a baseline of my wife's family history. It would be ten years before I read it again with an understanding of what it represented.

This is my journey as much as it was that of young Laurent Morin who was only 12 at the time he wrote the following in his journal.

Laurent’s Journal

Translated from French and transcribed by Amy Bouchard Morin

The Family is Moving to Maine

The year is 1882 and my name is Laurent (Lawrence) Morin. I am 12 years old. Right now, my home is in Saint Epiphane, a very small village near Riviere du Loup in the province of Quebec in Canada.

But I'm preparing to move to l’etat du Maine dans les Etats Unis (the State of Maine in the United States) with my family.

I am wondering what it will be like to move to a different country. We all speak French in my family, and we do not understand another language. This is the same as everyone in our town. I am told they only speak English in this place where we are moving. How will I make friends? How can I go to school and understand the teacher who will be speaking English? My younger brother Francois (Frank) is afraid the whole family will get lost and that we will not be able to find someone who understands us to help us find our way. But I tell him that Papa says not to worry. There will be other people who have moved to this place from Quebec before us, and they will be able to speak with us and help us get settled.

This is the reason Papa has decided that we need to move. Papa works as a stonemason. He builds foundations and buildings out of stone and brick. There is no work here for him to earn a living and support our large family. In our small village and in all the villages and towns around here there is no work, not just for him but for most of the men in the area.

He has been very worried, but he has been trying to keep it hidden from the children. I have heard him talking with Maman (Mama) in the evenings when he thought all the children were asleep. So, now I have been worrying too.

We are 11 children in our family, and I am the oldest. When you count Maman and Papa that makes 13 people that Papa is trying to support. It is a good thing that we now have a cow and a couple of pigs and some chickens, and that Maman has been growing a big garden for vegetables.

I work hard helping Papa to take care of the animals when I'm not in school. All the children in our family have chores to do. The boys work helping Papa with the animals and outdoor work. The girls help Maman with the housework weeding the garden canning the vegetables when they are ready, and taking care of the babies,

There has been no money for food, so the animals and garden are what is keeping the family alive. Papa has not been able to find work and earn money for clothes or any other things our family needs. Papa heard from one of his friends that there would be a meeting in the town, telling about jobs in les Etats (the States). His friend read about the meeting on a paper tacked to a notice board at the railroad station in town. So, Papa and his friend went to the meeting the other evening with a lot of other men from the village.

There was a man there who came from a town called Old Town in the state of Maine. It was funny that this man could speak French, I thought everyone in the United States spoke English.

The man told them that there was work for everyone who would move to this town. “They are building mills to make shoes and cloth in Old Town”, the man said. They need people to build mills, they need people to work in the new mills and also to work in the mills that are already there. Papa said his ears perked up at that news.

They also need stoneworkers. That means he could find a job right away. Papa told us that there was also a mill that makes paper in this town. That mill needs wood to make papers so there is also work in the woods if the men want to do this to earn money.

Also, the man said there is one area in the town where some people have moved from Quebec are settling. That means there are others in the town who can speak our language.

When Papa came back from the meeting, he and Maman talked a long while about what the man from Old Town said at the meeting. Papa said there was opportunity for him to work. Also, all of us would be able to find work and earn a living as we grew up. Things are not looking so good here in Quebec.

What will the children do when it comes time to find work when even Papa who has a trade cannot do so? Finally, after a lot of talking, Papa convinced Maman that it was too big an opportunity to turn down. Papa went back to Riviere du Loup and talked with a man and found out how he could go about moving our family to this place.

Now he and Maman are packing up everything that we will need to bring us to our new life for our family into wooden boxes and a couple of big brown top trunks. Poor Maman has to think hard about what she will need for this new place to make a home for all of us. It will not be easy to decide what we will bring for 13 people and what we will have to leave behind.

We cannot bring everything since there is only room for necessities. Maman will have to bring pots, pans, dishes, and flatware for the kitchen, sheets, blankets, pillows for the beds, and things she'll need to make and mend clothes (like needles and scissors).

We each have a set of clothes for church and two sets for everyday clothes. So, Maman will have to pack our two sets of everyday clothes. We will be wearing our Sunday-go-to-church clothes on the trip. With so many children clothes are always handed down until they're worn out. Since I'm the oldest boy I'm lucky to get new clothes.

Sometimes my younger brothers grumble about having to wear my old clothes. I hear Maman ask Papa if it snows in Maine, and if she should pack winter coats. There is a lot for her to think about. Papa needs to pack all of his tools for his work. He also needs to sell the animals and things that we cannot bring with us before we leave. This will give him a bit of money to pay for our train tickets and help us get settled in a new place called Old Town.

The town of St. Epiphane and the Catholic Church attended by the Morin family

I wonder, where is Old Town anyway? It must be a really big place to have all that work for people. St. Epiphane is only farms in a tiny village with the general store and the Catholic Church which everyone in the village attends.

If people work other than on the farm, they go to Riviere du Loop which is close by and can be reached by horse.

Yesterday I heard Maman tell Mme. LaRouche our next-door neighbor that if she wanted to take care of the garden, she could have all the vegetables for her family for next winter. Mme. LaRouch was very glad for Maman’s offer.

Papa bought our tickets for the train today and made arrangements for all of our things too. We leave in two days. Today, after I helped Maman pack up some of my things, I took a walk to the village and visited all the neighbors along the way. One of the neighbors was also packing up and will be moving to Old Town, too. They will leave next week so we will get there before them. I'm glad to know that their family would be moving to this place too. At least there will be someone that we know. I wish they would be on the same train with our family. It would be nice to have some familiar faces on the ride.

Oh, I wonder what it will be like in this place where people speak different language. I just thought of this …. I wonder if the food will be different. We are used to Maman’s good French cooking. I suppose we will still find the things she needs to cook the same foods that she cooks here. I hope so. When we arrive, we will not have our animals and garden to give us food. I wonder if this will be a problem.

We leave for the United States

I'm a little bit worried but I'm excited too. Tomorrow morning, we leave for a new home. even a new country. After a busy day of packing all the people in the town came to our house to say goodbye and wish us well. Mr. Bouchard came with his violin and the neighbor ladies brought all kinds of good food. We were thankful for the food because all the pans and dishes are packed away. Maman has some bread and butter saved aside for our breakfast tomorrow before we leave.

After we ate, we had a goodbye party, with Mr. Bouchard playing his jigs and reels. Some people clogged while they sat in their chairs, some played the spoons and some got up and danced,

There was a lot of room to dance finding a common test record cases since most of our belongings are in boxes and piled on the porch and in the parlor. The only things left around would be picked up by their new owners after we leave tomorrow. When it was time for all of our friends to leave, there were hugs all around.

Our neighbor who will be following us next week did not say goodbye. He said, “I will see you in the next week.” And, he told Papa when his train was supposed to arrive in this new town. Papa told him that he would meet his train. After everyone went home it was time for us to go to bed and try to sleep. I have too many questions in my head to sleep. Will someone meet us at the train station? I hope they speak French. Francois (Frank) asked me if we will still be Canadians after we moved to this new place in another country? I don't know the answer, so I will have to remember to ask Papa. Will my brothers and sisters and I find some new friends who can speak French? If we can't life is going to be very difficult for sure.

Where will we go to live, when we get to this new place? I think I heard Papa say that he had made arrangements with a man from the meeting to rent a house. I am too young to understand all these important things, but I guess I am not too young to worry. My younger brothers and sisters are always asking me questions that I can't answer.

Oh well, I know that Papa would not leave here without having a plan. It is hard to get to sleep though with all these things going through my head.

Two of our neighbors arrived early this morning before the sun came up. They had their big wagons pulled by two horses each, and they loaded up all the boxes and trunks in one of the wagons, and our family in the second wagon.

We will miss all our good neighbors and friends. Maman was crying when we drove off, and she watched our house until we went over the hill, and she couldn't see it anymore. Some of the children were crying too, but I wasn't. I am too old to cry, besides this was exciting.

The neighbors whose houses we passed on the way to the station, all came out of their houses and waved and called to us.

“Bonne chance, Jean-Baptiste et Domitilde!”.

Whole families were standing in front of their houses waving. Many of my friends, Mamans were crying too. Francois wants to know why people are crying. I tell him they are sad to see good friends move so far away, and that they are thinking they will never see us again, Now Francois is crying! Papa says for me to stop making Frank (Francois) cry. Heck I was just answering his question.

I keep stretching my neck to see around my brothers and sisters. I want to be the first one to see the train station. This ride to the train in Riviere du Loup seems to take forever. Finally, I can see the station, there is a train at the platform with steam coming out of the engine.

Railroad Station and Locomotive at Riviere du Loup Canada Circa 1890

We drive up to the station platform and our luggage is unloaded into a big pile near a man wearing a uniform who is weighing everything on a big scale.

After everything is weighed, the man calls went Papa over and tells him that he has 50 pounds too much luggage for 13 people. Papa must take 50 pounds of our things and leave them behind!

He tells the neighbor who brought us to the station to wait and he can have whatever we have to leave. Maman cries some more. How can we leave anything behind? We only packed what we absolutely had to have.

I.C.R. Railway Station in Riviere du Loup Canada Circa 1911

After much talk in many tears, we finally have the correct weight for our luggage and the man in the uniform marks all our boxes and trunks and gives Papa a paper. Now we can all get on the train.

Temiscquata Railway Passenger Car Circa 1900

The train has lots of cars. There's an engine and a car with coal, there are six cars to hold people (they call them passenger cars), there are two or three cars to hold boxes and trunks (they are called freight cars) and there's a car at the very end called the caboose.

There are a lot of people on this train. All the passenger cars are pretty much filled up. I can see a group of people that look like families sitting together.

Our family fills a lot of seats on our passenger car. Francois sits right beside me as close as he can get. He is only five years old, and he is a little afraid of all of this. I tell him that I will watch out for him so he shouldn't be afraid. Finally, the train blows its whistle and slowly pulls away from the station. We are on our way to our new life!

This is this is my first train ride. The train goes faster and faster. I have never moved so fast in my life. Our horse couldn't ever go this fast! I watch the fields and buildings fly by the window. If I look straight out things are blurred, so I have to look out the window at an angle. This way I'm looking either ahead to where we are going, or back to see what we already passed. But it doesn't take too long before my eyes start to close.

I'm so tired from not sleeping much last night and all this excitement has worn me out. We make a few short stops along the way and I have little naps between stops. Then the train crosses a river, Papa says the river is the Saint John River. On our side of the river is Canada on the other side is the United States. The river is la frontier (the border). We are now in a place called Maine.

We stopped right after we crossed the river and the man got on the train and walked through the cars asking questions and checking papers. Then the trains started again.

Here is something strange. We're traveling through farmland as far as I can see out my window. The land here doesn't look any different from where we came from, but Papa says we are now in the United States now. Wouldn't you think it would look different in another country? This is one more thing I do not understand. I think I still have a lot to learn.

Oh, my goodness I spoke too soon. I had another nap and when I woke up the train was going through woods. I don't see many farms now. All I can see is trees on either side of the train. Papa says we are in the forest of Maine and that the mills that make paper use trees from the forest. He says that men go into the woods during the winter and cut trees. They live in the woods at camps that the mills build for them about six months of the year. In the spring when the ice in the river melts, the trees are put in the river, and they float down to the mills. then the men can get their wages and come home to their families. This sounds like a lot of lonely, hard work to me. I can't imagine that Papa had to do that work and not be with us for half the year. I'm glad my Papa is a stonemason.

We Arrive in Old Town

We ride through forests or farmland for the rest of the trip, sometimes stopping at small towns that pop up. After awhile I figure out that we will be coming to a town soon when I see farms out of the window. Then before we come to a town a man with the uniform comes through the car he calls out the name of the town. They call him a conductor. He checks people’s tickets when they get on the train. I think I would like to do his job. He gets to ride on the train and meet new people all the time. Every time I see a conductor coming, I listen to hear if he says “Old Town”.

I am watching out the window and see a small town. The train doesn't stop here it goes right on through. We go over a bridge and ride the short way we go over it's another bridge and here comes the conductor saying “Old Town”. “Old Town”. My heart starts to beat faster, and I say to Francois, “We are going to get off”. “We are in Old Town.”

 

Old Town Maine Railroad Station Postcard Circa 1900

The train stops, and we all get off the train stand on the platform with Maman while Papa finds the man with the wagon that he can hire to take us to our new house.

I see Papa take a paper out of his pocket and give it to the man who nods his head. Papa came back and told us that the paper told the man where he needs to take us. I must have missed something because Papa already knows the address where we will live, and it is on an island called Treat and Webster Island.

This is a strange name this island has. It must be an English name. We get into the wagon and off we go. We follow the river and the railroad tracks back to a crossroad and turn right and cross a bridge. 

The railroad bridge that we crossed is right beside this bridge that we are on.

Double Trestle Railroad Bridge Across the Penobscot River 2018

We no sooner cross the bridge than the wagon turns right, and we cross the railroad tracks and climb a very steep hill.

Front Street Entrance to Treat and Webster (French) Island Community 2018

The wagon driver says “Treat and Webster Island” so I know that's where we are now, on the island that we will live.

 

Sign installed in 2014 Treat & Webster Island aka French Island 2018

There are quite a few houses on this island before I can blink my eyes the horses stop in front of a little house. The man said to papa this is our home. Maman is not happy with this little house. She goes from room to room deciding where to put things and sorting out the sleeping arrangement while I go with Papa and the man with the wagon back to the station to pick up our belongings.

When we get back to the station our things are just coming off the freight car. Papa checks his paper and counts all the boxes and things, and we load all our things onto the wagon and return to the house.

We have more help now. All the boys in our family who are big enough to start to unload our belonging from the wagon and put them in the house. It isn't long before some boys from the neighborhood come up and introduce themselves. They pitch in and help us unload wagons. I think I'm making some new friends. The girls help Maman place furniture, unload boxes and find places for things, and watch the youngest children.

After a few hours of hard work, Maman heard a voice call, Bonjour. She went to the door and there were three ladies who are new neighbors. They came to introduce themselves and welcome us to the neighborhood, and they brought some food for our supper.

One of the ladies brought a tourtiere and a dish that Maman called Melange, one brought a une soupe au pois (Pea Soup), and another lady brought had une grosse tarte au pomme (Apple Pie), which was made in a big pan, not a small pie pan. The food is just like what Maman made in Canada.

Everyone is speaking French like us, and we are already starting to feel at home. Maybe this place won't be so bad after all. It will take a few days to settle into the house. Tomorrow Papa is going to town to report for work. He says he will be working on a foundation for a new mill where people will work to make shoes. This is his first job at Old Town and he's looking forward to beginning work in this new country.

 

Treat & Webster (French) Island Old Town, Maine 2009

Epilogue

Papa (Jean Baptiste Morin) and Maman (Domithidle Rose Theriault) would not return to Canada. Maman would instead spend the rest of her life in Old Town Maine, living on French Island raising her many children and making wonderful “une grosse tarte au pomme” (French Apple Pie) in very large cake pans.

Eglise De Saint-Epiphane according to Ovide Morin Jean Baptiste Morin helped build in 1870

Papa as a master mason, would help build hundreds of homes, factories and businesses around Old Town, Bangor and Orono. Including many of the buildings at the University of Maine. In his spare time, he was an expert cobbler making leather moccasins for his children and many friends.

Both Jean and Rose Morin would embrace the American July 4th holiday and celebrate their new United States home, but perhaps wistfully they still hummed "La Marseillaise" the French National anthem while surrounding themselves with the French culture that flourished on French Island.

Much of what young Laurent described in his journal remains today as it was more than 140 years ago.

The trip from Riviere’-du-Loup to Old Town would last nearly 9 hours. It is likely that the Morin family took the Temiscouata Railway which ran on the Canadian Pacific rails and the rails of what would become the BAR (Bangor and Aroostook Railway). They would have passed countless small towns and farms with rich soil. Then crossing the St. John River at St. Leonards, Canada they would then head west and again south towards Caribou, Maine as the train would enter the vast “North Woods” of Maine and eventually reaching Old Town,

Today the Old Town Train Station remains, albeit, in sad dis-repair.

The short trip from the station to Treat & Webster (French) Island is exactly as Laurent described. Down to a crossroad, turn right go across the bridge with the railroad trestle which his train had just crossed in view and immediately after crossing turn right go across the railroad tracks and up the hill (Front Street).

While the exact home that the family moved into is unknown, US census records show that in 1900 the family lived on Front Street. In fact, a short ride up the hill brings you to a group of small “Mill Houses” that understandably Maman would “not be happy about”.

But by 1910 the Morin family (according to the US Census), had moved around the corner to Bodwell Street. And there on Bodwell Street just happens to be a home with the obvious handy work of a skilled stone mason. The stone wall, perhaps now 100 years old is still in perfect condition.

 

Laurent and his younger brother Francois would be best friends for life and business partners.

Together Laurent and Francois would open a small produce stand.

Which two years later would open for the season a little larger.

By 1897 Laurent would marry Atonia Dumond (Dumont) on the day after Christmas.

Laurent and son Lawrence, Jr., Francois (Frank) and brother Joseph and Clement - South Main Street Old Town Maine Circa 1922

Within a couple of years, Laurent and Francois opened a year around store on South Main Street in Old Town. By 1920 the store would employ many Morin family members, including son, Lawrence, Jr. and Francois and brothers Joseph and Clement.

The Morin Brothers store’s success was well documented in the local papers.

 

The Laurent Morin home at 1 Hayes Street on French Island Old Town Maine.

Laurent and Atonia Dumond would soon build their own home on French Island located at 1 Hayes Street. Just around the corner from the small mill house the family occupied in 1882.

The Hayes Street home as it stands today.

 

 

Peter and Amanda Grant

Laurent’s baby sister Amelia Amanda Mary Morin would grow up to marry Peter Grant on 9 August 1893. Daughter Alice was born the next year, followed by Bernadette, and later son Jesse and daughter Doris.

Peter and Amanda Grant’s home on Carrol Street in 1910 was just across the Penobscot River from French Island. In 1940 their home is listed as 15 South Brunswick just two doors north of Epiphane (Dave) Morin at 21 South Brunswick.

Alice would marry Joseph Francois Xavier Bosse’ which is another story that includes Little Tunk Pond and the famous explorer Admiral Bird.

Bernadette “Bertha” Grant would marry Peter Joseph O’Dell on June 10, 1919, in Old Town Maine.

They would raise three children of their own: Joseph Andrew born 10 November 1920, Madeline Eleanor born 2 August 1924 and Doris Elizabeth born 27 February 1926.

Joseph, Doris and Eleanor would each have two children of their own (Two girls, Two boys, and a boy and a girl).

Today the legacy of Jean Baptiste Morin and Domithilde “Rose” Theriault, spans three different centuries and seven generations. (Morin Brothers Automotive Old Town owners are 4th cousins).

Chances are if you're reading this and live in Maine you are related, perhaps only distantly to my wife.

Descendants of French-Canadian immigrants today make up approximately 30% of the population of the state of Maine. The Québecois who settled in the United States did so throughout Northern Maine and much of New England. Their migration was via the land bridges across the border separating the United States and Canada many of them by railroad.

The purpose of their migration was the same for all -- work, mostly in the woods and the mills.

Both Laurent and Francois would adopt Americanized versions of their names Lawrence and Frank. Brother, Jean would become John.

Rose would always speak beautiful French and was a wonderful cook and gracious host to all who would visit. Morin family members were well known for their stores and cooking, something that was passed onto future generations. 

Lawrence Jr’s home on South Main would pass to his son and son’s wife in 1989 who still reside there as of 2022.

Finally, for today’s living descendants of Jean Baptiste and Rose it is odd to note that your entire existence is due simply to a random combination of economic factors in Canada during the 1880’s and a woman’s willingness to “finally, after a lot of talking” agree to uproot her family on a man’s promise of love and affection and move to another country in hopes of a better life.

And perhaps as the French would say “Bonne Chance” (Good Luck).